Tuesday, October 15, 2013

InsideOut, one of the leading garden office suppliers over the last decade, has decided to move out of the market and concentrate on their architects practice (www.gordonsmitharchitect.co.uk). It's a shame but rather than disappear altogether, they've turned their www.iobuild.co.uk site into an excellent resource for anybody who wants to know more about shedworking and garden offices. It will be updated too by Lynn Fotheringham, editor of InsideOut’s Garden Buildings Guide and a director of Gordon Smith Architect, which is good to hear. Here's Lynn on what she plans to do with it:

"It doesn’t really matter where you work at home as long as you are comfortable and can concentrate. Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a draughty summerhouse and Virginia Woolf wrote A Room of One’s Own in a damp outhouse.
But if you are going to spend some money on your work space or even invest in a garden office what’s important?

"I don’t think you want your office to catch fire, you don’t want to be cold and you don’t want to be damp.
To avoid these less than comfy conditions the basics you need to consider are insulation, windows and doors that fit properly so that no draughts can get in, and preferably double glazed. Cheap and efficient heating and, if you are moving into the garden, an electrical supply that’s been installed by a qualified electrician.

"How do I know these basics? Because I write InsideOut’s Garden Buildings Guide which contains what I learnt during ten years of designing and building garden offices. So, visit the site and share the basics before you decide to build or buy a garden office.
InsideOut’s Garden Buildings Guide contains articles on the questions you should ask before you buy, info about planning permission for garden buildings and lots of inspirational photos.
If you have any questions about working in a garden office why not email them to Alex at shedworking and I will answer them for you?"